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Greenland Planning Board forwards wetland-setback amendment to March ballot after 4–1 vote
Summary
The Planning Board voted 4–1 to send a proposed change to the town’s Wetland Protections ordinance — exempting non-vernal wetlands 3,000 sq. ft. or smaller from setback and buffer rules — to the March Town Meeting ballot. A board member said she preferred a smaller threshold.
The Greenland Planning Board voted 4–1 on Jan. 15 to forward a proposed amendment to Article XVIII (Wetland Protections Ordinance) to the March Town Meeting ballot.
The amendment would exempt wetlands and surface waters of 3,000 square feet or less from structure setback requirements and wetland buffers, except where the waterbody is a vernal pool, a bog, a tidal wetland or lies within a Prioritized Resource Area defined by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. The change would not apply to vernal pools as defined in Section 18.3.
Member Martha Wassell said she was uncomfortable with a 3,000-square-foot threshold and preferred a smaller limit, noting concern about the size chosen to align with a state simplification guideline. Conservation Commission Chair Kathleen Babin-Johnson asked where the new language would be inserted and requested that vernal pools be added to the buffers table in Section 18.8 next year.
Consultant Mark Fougere explained that setback provisions appear in both Section 18.7.2 and Section 18.8 and that the amendment would be added to Section 18.8 as a new item. After discussion, John McDevitt moved to forward the amendment to the ballot; Heather Droesch seconded. The motion carried 4–1 with Wassell opposed.
The ballot referral means voters at the March Town Meeting will decide whether to adopt the amendment. If passed, the change would alter which small wetlands are protected by local setback and buffer requirements; the Town will still apply protections to bogs, tidal wetlands, vernal pools and wetlands in prioritized resource areas.
The Town should expect the amendment text to appear with other warrant articles for the March Town Meeting; the Planning Board did not specify a voter-information summary in the minutes.
